Profile

The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center is dedicated to the process of discovery, advancing medical knowledge, and providing compassionate, state-of-the-art cancer care. Outstanding basic, translational, and clinical research complements a full range of prevention, early detection, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care programs for all types of cancer. Primary and tertiary programs on the main medical center campus treat nearly 10,000 new cancer cases annually and the Center additionally maintains affiliations with four teaching hospitals located throughout the metropolitan Chicago
area. Across this system, more than 2,000 patients are annually accrued to approximately 350 clinical trials conducted by the Center.

The Lurie Cancer Center has major research strengths in breast, genitourinary, gastrointestinal, aerodigestive, neurologic, and gynecologic cancers; hematologic malignancies; and pediatric oncology. Basic and translational research programs in hormone action/signal transduction, angiogenesis, biologic therapies, and nanotechnology are nationally and internationally recognized. Overall, the Center's 275 clinicians and scientists generate in excess of $175 million annually in extramural grant funding.

A full range of medical, surgical, and radiation oncology treatment facilities is complemented by exceptional screening facilities and programs for breast, prostate, colon, and ovarian cancers; a comprehensive, multidisciplinary breast center; the region's leading genetic testing and counseling service; a comprehensive Palliative Medicine Program; and a novel, comprehensive program in liver-directed therapies that includes surgeons, medical oncologists, and interventional radiologists.

Inpatient care facilities include a total of 90 hematology/oncology beds with specialized facilities for stem cell transplantation and palliative care, as well as 48 surgical and GYN oncology beds. In 2003, the Lurie Cancer Center dedicated a new 32,000 sq. ft. ambulatory cancer care facility providing comprehensive, multidisciplinary care including hematology/oncology, surgical subspecialties, radiation oncology, and psycho-social care. In late 2009, an expansion of outpatient facilities added a 24,000 sq. ft. satellite in Northwestern's Prentice Women's Hospital, integrating comprehensive care for women with breast and reproductive system cancers in a single setting.